Honeybee
by StripedHatter
Summary: From the moment Iris Thorne steps onto the island, things begin to change. The year is 1946 and she's visiting her aunt just before an arranged marriage- but she ends up finding a loop, a family of peculiar children, a whole slew of unusual characters, and a brand new world opened before her eyes. *Rated T for language*
1. Chapter One

Chapter One

The island drifted into view through a veil of fog. The boat rumbled to the dock and settled as a tiny town appeared, adorned with horses, pubs, and cottages too musty to be quaint. My eyes followed the foot trails that lead into the mountain's cliffs and forested regions, and my feet itched to be exploring. The sailor that had given me the ride over to Cairnholm turned at the wheel and smiled at me. "Welcome to Cairnholm, Miss Thorne."

"Thank you," I replied politely, stepping off the boat with my suitcase in hand. The salty ocean breeze rose chill-bumps on my arms, and I second-guessed my decision to wear a short-sleeved button-down and a skirt. It didn't seem very practical now, at this tiny island so close to the ocean. But it would have to do for now. I stepped past gatherings of workers, lugging carts back and forth or taking a minute to sit. At the end of the dock, a pub sat perpendicular to the ocean, allowing an easy view of its sign: The Meddled Minstrel. _This is the place, _I thought, and stepped inside.

A collection of people- mostly men and wenches- were within the pub, having a beer or a warm meal, taking a break from work for supper. I scanned them all- none seemed like the proper woman that sent me a letter. My Aunt Imogene had requested my presence for only a short week before my arranged marriage took place, whisking me away to Ireland. I barely knew my aunt- she had moved to this distant island fifteen years ago, when I was only a tiny baby.

"Lost?"

The voice was polite, and I looked over to see the bartender looking at me. I shook my head, pulling my letter out of my skirt pocket. "This is the place, I just don't see the woman I'm supposed to meet up with."

He frowned slightly and looked around the bar. "Who is she? I know everyone on the island."

He seemed proud of this and I took a seat at the barstool closest to me. "Imogene Hazel. Do you know her?"

"Yes," he said with a triumphant smile. "Tall woman, narrow frame, always wearing a white hat- a bit like a dandelion. Why, she was in town not ten minutes ago, walked by with a bag of vegetables. She should be in here any minute now. Would you like a drink to pass the time?"

I shook my head. "No, thank you- alcohol isn't exactly my favorite type of beverage."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself; if you need anything, I'll not be far off."

He returned to bar-tending and I heard a soft _mew _from my bag. I nudged it and whispered, "Keep it down, Hutch." A faint hiss sounded in response and I sighed. Just then, the door swung open to the _tink _of a bell and a gust of freezing ocean wind sweeping over the bar. I looked up to see her- tall, narrow, a gray dress and white hat, just like a dandelion, as the bartender had said. Her eyes scanned the bar and stopped on me. I smiled politely and she crossed the pub to me.

"Well, hello, Iris. Welcome to Cairnholm." She pulled me into a quick hug, and as she pulled away she took me by the forearm and led me out of the pub. "Come with me- we'll get you into something warmer. Why, you're shivering!" Once outside, Aunt Imogene immediately hopped onto a carriage that was waiting, taking me with her. I sat down, breathless, and dropped my bag into the floorboard. To the driver, Aunt Imogene said quickly, "To my house." She turned to me and I took in her features- small gray eyes, broad cheeks, thin lips, crows-feet bordering her eyes. "Now then, Iris, you're lovely. But why is your hair only to your shoulders?"

I curled a finger in my hair self-consciously. "I had some of it spilled in honey… Well, technically, it was poured in my hair, but either way that's in the past. I'm just waiting for it to grow back out again."

Sympathy fell into her gray eyes. "I'm sorry to hear that. But anyway, how's this fiancé of yours?"

I shrugged slightly, my eyes falling to study the clasp of my suitcase. "I'd imagine he's a bit of a drinker- most Irishmen are. He owns a large estate of land, occupied by tenant farmers, and he's got dark hair and a thick accent. In truth, I've only met him a few times- it's my mother's idea, it's all very traditional."

Aunt Imogene smiled. "Well, perhaps that's the way it should be- he's clearly rich, hardworking, cultured, and generous. Are you excited to be marrying such a man?"

Again, I shrugged, but this time I was looking at the unique little town around me- fishermen, sheepherders, miners, bartenders, even a historian it seemed, pouring over notes and glancing back at a book. When I replied, it was offhand. "I feel a bit too young for marriage."

"You don't look too young."

I only shrugged.

We reached her house a short while later. It was a tiny cottage like most places here, and she pointed down the hall to the door at the end- my room- and instructed that I put away my things while she started on dinner. I walked down the hall listening to her declarations of all the fun things I'd do here during my stay. I dropped off my bag in the room and looked at it- a tiny cot with a blanket and pillow, only just big enough for me with my height being what it was, a dresser, wooden planks for flooring, plaster walls, and a small window viewing the foot-trail I'd spotted earlier- the one that went into the woods. I unpacked, placing my clothing in the drawers.

The time had come to open my suitcase. Hutch crawled out slowly and looked around, his brown tabby fur almost blending into the wooden planks. His green-yellow eyes, reminding me every time of a dragon's, scanned the world around him. One ear twitched and he sat down, curling his tail around his front paws as he looked at me.

"It's not much, but it's nice enough."

I scowled. "You should be thankful for her hospitality at all- most of my relatives won't accept my having a cat."

Hutch lifted his shoulders a bit and lowered them again. "Only because they can't hear me talk. They just hear meows."

"It isn't my fault they aren't peculiar," I muttered, laying back on the cot. It was stiff as a board, and the blanket seemed too thin to hold in any heat. I suppressed a groan- it would be a long stay. Hutch hopped onto the bed and began kneading the blanket, and then plopped down. He looked at me and blinked, his whiskers twitching.

"This is disappointing," he meowed. "I _am _trying to be grateful, but how could anything sleep on this? Even a human would have trouble enjoying it."

I sat up. "It's just too bad."

I heard a knock on the door and Aunt Imogene entered. Seeing Hutch, she offered a smile. "So long as he doesn't do his business on my floor, I'll feed him and he can stay here."

Hutch scoffed. "As if I could bring myself to be so undignified!"

"What a cute meow he has! Aw," Aunt Imogene commented, one hand on her chest. Hutch flattened his ears on his indignantly and hopped off the cot, ducking under it before I could stop him.

"S-sorry, he's just… A bit shy. He's not used to new people, and he'll need a while to adjust," I said in an apologetic tone. Aunt Imogene waved it off.

"Don't worry about it; come eat. I'm sure when I feed him, he'll warm up to me a bit."

The next morning I awoke earlier than my aunt, accustomed to being up at this hour while Cairnholm had different times than my home. I stretched and sat up, my back sore from the cot. I stood in the warm sleep-robe Aunt Imogene had loaned me the night before and twirled a bit, unaccustomed to such long dresses. Hutch crawled out from under the bed and stretched his forepaws, his jaw opening wide. He smacked his lips a bit and blinked up at me, offering a sleepy good morning.

"Good morning, Hutch. Come on- let's go walking," I said and he, grumbling, complied as he began his morning bath. I opened the drawers of the dresser and found a long-sleeve button-down, blue in color, with a longer skirt. I put them on with stockings and my shoes, and combed my fingers through my short hair. I looked out my window- the trail would be the first place I visited.

In very little time at all, Hutch and I had left and were heading out in the chilly, muggy weather. A few workers waved and I waved back, continuing on my way until I was well into the woods. I passed a shack filled with the _baa_ of sheep, and passed by fields, trees, and cliffs, until I came to a crossing. A trail cut through the path.

One side of the trail led further into the forest on a downward slope toward the beach. The other side of it was more wooded. _Should I try one of them? _I wondered, and pondered the possibilities of either one. The one leading to the beach could lead to a treasure cove, or a mermaid- but thinking realistically, it likely just led to the beach and stopped. The other one carried more mystery, and more danger- a murderer out in the woods? A hermit's shack? A group of wild children, like in the story of Peter Pan? Perhaps a Wonderland sat down that trail. I looked at the trail I was following- it likely led to more farmland.

The decision was made.

I turned to my left and began to follow the trail deeper into the woods. Just as I started on it, however, rain began to fall, pitter-pattering on the forest leaves.

"Oh, rotten luck," Hutch commented and I sighed in agreement. But I wasn't turning back now. I continued down the path, my shoes worn from walking so much- as all of my shoes became- and my eyes still lit with adventure. Hutch had been enjoying himself, trotting back and forth on the path, ears perking at every sound of an animal. Now, though, he was only trying to avoid mud and puddles that were forming in the increasingly-fast-falling rain. We reached a swamp, littered with tussocks of grass poking out of the murky water.

"What do you think, Hutch? Should we brave it?"

The cat looked up at me with nervous yet unshaking eyes. "We've come this far- we might as well."

I stepped onto the first tussock of grass. There were enough to get through the swamp to the other side without getting your feet wet- I'd be alright. I stepped onto the next one and Hutch hopped onto the one I'd just been on, and just then two things happened simultaneously: a sudden crack of thunder turned into a rumble overhead, and my eyes fell on a distant box-shaped something across the swamp. It was maybe three hundred meters away, and as the rain began pelting down onto the swamp, dampening my hair and freezing me further, I decided to head toward it.

A gust of wind whipped through and I shouted to Hutch, "You see that?"

He followed my gaze and yowled over the wind, "Shall we head toward it?"

I nodded at him and he began bouncing from tussock to tussock as the thunder rumbled again and the sky darkened with the storm. I danced through the grassy patches, my feet occasionally slipping into the swamp and resulting in soaked feet and soaked hands as I scrambled for a tree limb to hold onto. The rain was falling faster than ever and I realized with a jolt of fear that the swamp was rising, covering the tussocks of grass, and Hutch was too far away for me to grab with ease.

"Hutch, move faster, the swamp is flooding!" I screamed over the wind. The storm had come on fast- and I was frightened. Would I ever be found if we died here? I shook the thoughts away and focused. _I won't die today, _I decided firmly, and began sprinting through the tussocks, ignoring the squelch of mud when I missed one. The wind pushed me and I nearly fell several times, but I finally reached the bank. The box-shaped thing, I now realized, was a tomb, leading down into the ground- a cairn. Hutch sat just inside it, shivering and soaked, his fur sticking out everywhere. His ears were flat and his eyes were wide. "Next time, we turn back when it starts to drizzle."

I stepped into the cairn with a small smile. "Ah, now where's your sense of adventure? Staying home is no fun."

He turned his wide eyes on me and shook his head. After a moment of silence, he said, "Iris, what is this that we're in? I can't recall learning the word for it."

I sat with my back against the edge of it. A tiny tunnel led down further- I'd have to crawl to get through it. I looked out at the flooding swamp and another gust of wind dashed through. "It's a cairn, Hutch. By definition, a cairn is a prehistoric burial mound made of stones. This goes deeper down, but I'm scared to go further, because if it floods, we'll be trapped."

Hutch's eyes darted from the stormy swamp to the lightless, dank tunnel. Howling wind hit him and his eyes focused in on the tunnel, his diamond-shaped pupils widening. "Anything's better than this wind."

With that he darted off and I lunged for him, but missed. "Hutch!"

"Not going back!" His voice echoed from further down the tunnel and with I clenched my jaw, following after him quickly. Perhaps if I was fast enough… But the cat had the advantage here. He could sprint, I could only crawl. With a sigh, I crawled after him, grimacing as I put my hands in the dirt. I crawled along, blindly heading into the darkness as the storm roared outside.

After what seemed like forever, I reached the bottom and Hutch was sniffing around. "Iris, I don't think this is just any random cairn."

"What do you mean?"

Hutch scuffed a bit in the darkness. "There's markings on the walls. After only a moment of sitting down here, it smelled different- there was more warmth. And listen- I can't hear the rain."

I paused and listened. "Hutch, we- we have to go back up."

Hutch mewed his agreement and we started back up the tunnel, this time with Hutch behind me. In short time, we reached the top- somehow it seemed to take less time going back up. At the top, it was definitely different: sunny warmth flooded into the cairn entrance.

"I was right- sometimes I really hate being right," the tabby at my feet meowed.


	2. Chapter Two

I glanced around the swamp. The tussocks of grass were still under the water, indicating there had been recent rains, despite the cloudless sky. What called my attention more, though, was the peregrine falcon sitting on a low branch of a tree poking out of the murky swamp. It was simply staring at me.

"Hello there," I greeted it.

"Iris, it doesn't seem too friendly," Hutch murmured. I shushed him as the falcon turned its sharp eye on me. In a sudden flurry of wings, the peregrine was in flight and heading off. I made eye contact with Hutch.

"Shall we follow it, then? Maybe it has some answers. I know my ability to talk to animals isn't just going to vanish because the weather changed while we were in that cairn."

Hutch contemplated this. "On the one hand, the peregrine seemed a bit clueless, daft as most birds are. On the other hand, it had a glow in its eye I don't usually see in birds- something human about it. But Iris, perhaps we shouldn't just follow the random bird because it was the first animal you saw here."

"Well, what else are we to do?"

"Try asking someone in the town?" Hutch suggested hopefully, but I shook my head.

"Much more fun to follow the bird- onward!"

I began to stride threw the swamp. Hutch growled slightly, the cat's form of a groan, and reluctantly followed. In a hint of spitefully amusing encouragement, I tossed over my shoulder, "Hey, you made me follow you down that tunnel, you can follow me this way."

The growl grew and I smirked. Before long, we were on the side of the swamp we'd started on, with the hint of a trail still marking the woods. I walked along for a while, and then suddenly tripped, my toe hitting something solid yet unseen as I tumbled downward.

"Hey! Watch your step!"

Startled by the voice, I got to my feet as quickly as I could, and Hutch hid behind me. Uncertain, I took a defensive pose and my eyes raked the area around me- I didn't _see _anyone. "W-Who said that?"

Silence, except for a few birds tweeting, and the occasional rustle of small wildlife.

Finally, I heard a sigh. "It was me."

The voice seemed to be coming from the base of a tree I'd just passed- around the area I'd tripped. But I didn't see anyone. I glanced in the branches, and the voice came again. "Down here- I'm invisible."

As strange as everything else had been, I had no trouble believing this, though I was still astonished. "Are you really?"

"I am. Hold out your hand," he instructed and I did as he said. I felt a hand press against mine, the fingers longer, but didn't see anyone. I reached out a hand, feeling the air for him.

"That's- that's incredible," I commented, and my hands skimmed skin.

"Watch it- hand's a little low!" He yelped, and I saw the leaves crunch as he stepped back.

"S-Sorry, I didn't think about it… I'm assuming you don't make your clothes invisible?"

"No."

"So that means… Oh." I paused awkwardly, realizing this boy was naked. I heard him chuckle a bit and suddenly held out my hand. "Well, I'm Iris."

"Millard," he replied, shaking my hand. I laughed a bit.

"That's quite a name; could you please tell me where I am? It was storming just a short while ago, and I went into the cairn, and now it's sunny and warm. I feel like I'm not on the same island."

Hutch pawed at my leg. I'd forgotten the cat was there, but I didn't have time for introductions as Millard's voice appeared again. "You've stumbled into our loop."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Sorry?"

"Hmm, this is quite interesting. You really don't know what a loop is?"

I shook my head. "I can't say I do."

"Continue down the path, I'll introduce you to Miss Peregrine and explain on the way there. She'll give you a bit more detail than I can," Millard said. I shrugged and did as he said, hearing footsteps next to me.

"But how do I know I can trust you?"

Millard sighed quietly. "Well, what choice have you got, Iris?"

Hutch then murmured from my feet, "Yeah, Iris- where's your sense of adventure?"

"Hush, Hutch," I whispered, but I'd already called his attention. Millard chuckled a bit.

"So that's your peculiar ability- you can talk to cats?"

I shook my head. "If that's what you call it, then my peculiar ability is that I can talk to all animals. Hang on, did you say Miss Peregrine?"

"I did."

I nodded in understanding. "It makes sense now. When I first came out of the cairn, there was a peregrine falcon- is she a shape-shifter?"

"She's an ymbryne, which is a form of shape-shifting, yes. Miss Peregrine can transform into a bird and manipulate time. That's the entrance to our loop back there- she made it. It goes from today, September 3, 1940, to whatever the present day is in your time. Every evening, it loops to restart the day."

I nodded again, but still had about a thousand more questions. "That's a fascinating concept. And to get here, anyone can just cross through the cairn?"

"Not exactly," Millard said, and I pictured him talking with his hands. "To pass through the cairn, one would have to be a peculiar. Peculiarity passes through families, often skipping generations, and can manifest at any age. Your peculiarity is that you can talk to animals, as you said- because of this, you have the peculiarity to pass through loops. Loops are where ymbrynes hold ageless collections of peculiar children in their care, children who likely wouldn't be accepted elsewhere."

I cocked my head to the side as I stepped over an outstretched oak root. "You say _children_, yet you talk like a teacher. And what do you mean, ageless?"

Millard chuckled. "Well, children extends to teenagers. I mean ageless as in we haven't gotten any older in however long it's been- what time is it in the present?"

"It's February 15, 1946," I replied. I calculated it quickly. "You haven't aged in five years, five months, and twelve days."

"5-5-12 and then you show up. I wonder if there's some symbolism there, or if it were mere coincidence," Millard commented. I smiled at him.

"There you go again- talking like a teacher. You're quite intelligent. I don't know much about invisible teenage boys, but you seem to be making the best of it."

He chuckled and we found ourselves on the main path. I scuffed the dirt a bit. "This path is rather old." As I looked down, I noticed something else and gasped. Hutch licked his shoulder and Millard's footsteps stopped.

"What is it?" He asked and I frowned.

"I have mud and water all over myself." I looked up at where I thought he was. "How bad do I look? This Miss Peregrine seems rather esteemed, I don't want to make a horrid first impression."

Millard laughed fully. "Oh, don't worry too much- she's forgiving. I tell you the woman takes care of children and you expect a little mud to get her knickers in a twist?"

I scoffed. "That's not what I meant- I just want to make an admirable first impression! You're the scrupulous teacher of us, you should understand!"

Millard only laughed again. "If you want to talk fashion, go meet Horace!"

I sighed and started down the path, Hutch trotting alongside me. A bee appeared with a buzz and my heart leapt in my throat as I swatted at it. It came a bit closer and I swatted again, stepping away quickly. "Millard, help! There's a bee!"

The invisible boy's footsteps approached. "Don't you worry yourself, it's just Hugh."

I gasped. "The bee is a boy?!"

Millard's laugh sounded again. "No, not at all! Hugh, come out from there."

A cluster of bushes sat on the side of the path and out stepped a boy in shorts and a button-down. He had short brown hair and bright eyes, and bees around him. I stepped back. He stepped forward, and then closer. I was frozen as he thrust out a hand. "I'm Hugh." Suddenly, he looked at himself, and offered a nervous smile. "Sorry about the bees, I'll take care of that." I gulped, looking down, and when I looked back up the bees were gone. I shook myself and he smiled again as I came back to me.

"Oh! Where are my manners? I'm Iris Thorne," I said, placing my hand in his. He shook it.

"Iris-thorn, hmm? Is that a plant? I've heard of iris and lord knows I know about thorns, but iris-thorn is new."

I laughed a bit as our hands parted. "It's separate- my last name is Thorne, and my first name is Iris."

Hugh nodded. "That makes a bit more sense. I see you've met Millard- tell me, how is it you came to our little island?"

Millard answered for me. "She's peculiar- found us by accident through the cairn. Poor girl didn't have a clue what a loop is."

"I assume you filled her in. Will she be meeting Miss Peregrine?" asked Hugh and Millard said I would, and then Hugh took notice of Hutch. He cocked his head to the side. "And who's this? A favorite pet of yours, Iris?"

"Hmm! I am not a pet!" Hutch meowed indignantly. "I am a _companion!"_

I smiled at him and patted his head, and then straightened myself again and turned to Hugh. "Not a pet, more of a… A familiar, if you will."

"Her peculiarity is talking to animals," said Millard. I nodded and Hugh raised his eyebrows.

"Impressive enough; not as great as controlling bees, but still impressive."

Another boy had just then appeared, strolling down the road. "What're you gonna do, Hugh? Pollinate the enemy's flowerbeds?" He spoke in a cockney accent.

Hugh narrowed his eyes, but just then another face appeared. A pretty girl hopped out of the woods, looking to be maybe just a bit younger than I am.

"The bird wants you all back at the house- says she needs to meet Iris formally now that she isn't in bird form."

Grumbling, the offensive boy started off, followed by Hugh as Millard's footsteps continued. The girl fell in beside me as I hesitantly walked behind them. "I'm Emma, by the way. I'm assuming you're Iris?"

I nodded. She stopped then and suddenly grabbed my jaw, turning me toward her. I froze and she looked deeply at my eyes. With a cautious breath, she started walking again, with me beside her. "I had to check if you're a wight. You can understand."

I just nodded, and we heard Millard snicker.

"What is it?" Emma snapped. "And where are your clothes?"

Millard exhaled loudly. "Well, I just didn't see a point in clothes today. And I was laughing at your paranoia- the girl's got pupils, she talks to animals, and you still assume she's a wight."

Emma shrugged. "Can't be too careful. She could've had contacts."

Millard hummed, and we continued on our way. Emma spoke again. "By the way, the boy up there ahead of Hugh is Enoch. He can take animal hearts and put them in things to animate them."

I gasped. "That's horrible! Those poor animals!"

Millard patted my arm, surprising me, and Emma gave me a look. "You don't think very highly of us, do you? Just because you can talk to animals, you aren't any better than a boy who controls bees or a girl who can create fire."

"I never said-"

"Oh, shut it."

And I did.


	3. Chapter Three

We reached a grassy field leading up to a gorgeous manor house. The house was beautiful- multistory mansion, almost, but more modest. A chimney protruded from the rooftops, and I could see at least two porches. The lawn was adorned with mythological creatures in the form of topiary, viewed by the many windows of the house. In one floor, I saw the silhouette of a tall womanly figure looking out, the shape not unlike Aunt Imogene. As we approached, Emma spoke again. "I'm sorry I was cross with you earlier- I'm not used to meeting new people. I noticed you're a bit muddy; would you like a clean dress? I might have one that would fit you."

"Thank you, I'd appreciate that very much," I said, and the girl led me into the house and up the stairs to her room. Hutch trotted off. Inside, she went to the closet.

"I'm going to trust you not to snoop- something I rarely do."

I chuckled a bit. "You can trust me. I wouldn't wrong someone being so generous."

She just nodded and handed me a dress, and then stepped out. It was a simple dress with puffy short sleeves and a sash across the middle, pale pink in color, with a white collar. I put it on and buttoned it, and looked in Emma's mirror. It didn't look too horrible on me- a tad shorter than I'd have liked, but I wasn't going to complain. I gathered my muddy clothes in a small wad and stepped out. Immediately, a little girl in button shoes and a tiara stepped up to me.

"I'm Olive!"

I smiled at her. "I'm Iris."

She cheered a bit. "We're both named after plants! I think we'll be best friends!"

My smile grew a bit, but before I could reply Millard's voice came from the end of the hall. "Olive, let's not bombard her- she still has to talk to the bird for more explanation. How about you do us a favor and take her dirty clothes to the washing basin?"

Olive sighed but complied and I looked over to where I thought Millard would be to see a tall, thin figure in a suit, still without skin or visible body parts but now much more easily seen. He stepped down the hall to me, and I decided just to ask him what I'd been wondering. "Millard, what's a wight?"

He chuckled a bit. "Miss Peregrine will explain that to you. Come with me, I'll introduce you to her."

I nodded and followed as he led me into a room. It looked a bit like a classroom, with books and desks and chairs. Millard led me on a winding route through the desks to a door behind the desk at the front of the room, which he knocked on. A stern voice came through the door saying _Come in_. Millard turned the knob and opened it. Inside, I'm assuming, was Miss Peregrine.

She was in a space between old and young. Her dark hair was faded a bit in color, but not quite graying, and was pulled into a tight bun that was hidden by a hat and veil. She wore a dark dress, fashionable for the time period and appropriate to her status as the apparent caretaker and teacher of these children.

"You must be Iris."

I nodded and she turned her gaze to Millard. "Thank you for putting some clothes on, Millard. Now if you'll please excuse us, I have a few things to say to our new acquaintance."

Millard bowed slightly and stepped out and Miss Peregrine gestured to a chair. I sat, but she remained standing, her body and eyes angled toward the window. She began to speak. "I take it Millard filled you in a bit?"

I nodded. "He told me about the loop, and what an ymbryne is, and a bit about this place."

Miss Peregrine nodded slowly, and then continued to speak. Her voice was sharp but not quite stern. "I'm going to fill you in on a few things, but first you should know that if you endanger any of my wards, it won't be sweet Olive you answer to."

I gulped and nodded again, my voice seeming to escape me in the face of this respectable woman's threat. She continued.

"Now, you're obviously a peculiar, which puts you in danger as well. There are creatures called hollowgast- a hollow singularly- that hunt peculiars. They were created through an experiment to control time and grow powerful gone wrong, something I'll let Millard explain if you really want the backstory. Hollowgast hunt down peculiars, and if they accomplish killing enough, they turn into a wight. They take the shape of a human and hunt down other peculiars to feed to hollowgast- this is why Emma tested you. But you passed through the loop and showed your peculiar ability before my own eyes, so I allowed you to be lead here.

"You've already met some of my wards, and you'll meet the rest at lunch, which is in about an hour. You can go now- Millard should be on the lawn, probably reading; I've noticed so far you've taken a bit of a liking to him."

Now that the tension was eased, I smiled a bit. "He was the first one I met- by accident- and so far, he's very friendly. Thank you for being so hospitable, by the way."

She only nodded and stepped over to her desk, beginning to write. I stepped passed her and headed out, looking down at my muddy shoes with a frown as I made my way down the stairs. As I headed out the front door, I couldn't help but wonder if Aunt Imogene would be worried to wake up and find me missing- or would time even be passing in our time? Perhaps Millard would know.

_**~Next chapter in Hugh's perspective!**_


	4. Chapter Four

_Hugh_

I sat with my back to a tree, my bees humming around me, and saw Iris walk out of the house. The new girl was pretty- short brown hair, pale green eyes, round cheeks. I was a bit disappointed at her dislike of the bees. I watched, lost in thought, as she headed over to Millard where he was reading and started up an easy conversation. I sighed and then shook myself; what am I doing? I just met the girl. Looking away, I saw one of my bees land on my arm and smiled at it. Just then, a tiny clay figure came up and swatted at the bee. I opened my mouth quickly and all the bees darted into the safety of my insides, and I glared at Enoch as he stepped out.

"He was just having a bit of fun," Enoch said defensively, lifting the figure.

I continued to glare. "You're just lucky bees can't sting clay. Don't forget they can sting you, though."

Enoch scoffed. "What's got you off your rocker?"

I just shook my head and pulled myself to my feet. "Nothing," I grumbled, starting to walk off. Enoch just shrugged, returning to playing with his clay figure, and I soon found myself a bit closer to Millard and Iris than I meant to be, which of course drew their attention.

"Hugh! Come over here with us!" Millard called out. I waved him off, and he called again, "Ah, come on- make the new girl feel a bit more welcome!"

With a sigh, I stepped over, rather reluctant to see her freak over my bees again. I stood above them and she offered a shy smile.

"Sorry about earlier- I have a bit of a fear of bees," said Iris, offering a tiny smile. I mustered a smile back, but it was more plastered on than sincere.

"It's fine." The words came out curtly and her smile faded a bit. Millard sighed and closed his book, standing.

"Well, I'll leave you two to it then."

If she hadn't been sitting right there I'd have glared at him as Millard strode off cheerily. As it was, Iris stood up and sighed a bit. "You don't have to accompany me if you'd rather not. I can see it must be offensive for me to insult your bees."

I felt my cheeks redden a bit and shrugged. "'s alright."

She continued. "I wouldn't want anyone to insult Hutch- speaking of which, where is that little devil… Could you help me find him?"

"I don't have anything better to do," I said and the two of us started off. "I'm assuming that's your cat?"

Iris nodded. "Big brown tabby, fluffy tail, short fur, yellow-green eyes."

"Is he your favorite pet or something?"

She shrugged. "He's my best friend, actually, and finds the term 'pet' to be offensive. _Hutch!"_

She'd spotted the cat sniffing about a topiary of a dragon, and she took off running after it. I ran after her, but just as she was about to reach the cat it took off, and the girl herself tripped. I lunged for her, catching her by the back of her dress and pulling her up. I barely caught my balance myself, and stood for a moment with one arm around her and one hand on her arm. Breathless, I stood there for a second, and then realized our proximity about the same time she did. Both of us reddened and stepped away.

"Rotten cat," she muttered. "Sorry about that."

"It's alright. If you'd like, I can send my bees to look for him- they won't sting, I promise," I offered.

"I'd very much appreciate it," she said, still looking around for the cat. I opened my mouth and the bees flew, and she gasped and stepped back. _Of course, she's still scared of me, _I thought pessimistically, and the bees scattered. Iris cleared her throat and I glanced at her as she took a deep breath. "Okay, so it's a bit more than a small fear of bees, but I'm trying."

I sighed. "I can tell you're trying very hard."

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm trying to be tolerant, but if you had a fear of heights and I could randomly make the ground under you sprout up into the sky, wouldn't you have to take some time to adjust? At least give me a chance."

Was I being unfair? I couldn't decide, but luckily didn't have to, as her precious cat came running forward and leapt into her arms. It meowed quickly and she hugged it, saying, "Sh, Hutch, it's okay. The bees aren't going to bother you."

_Oh, joy, even her cat's afraid of bees._

Lunch rolled around and we all sat down to eat. Miss P introduced everyone to Iris, and Iris to everyone. The girl looked around in wonder as each peculiar showed off their talents- Emma lit each candle and allowed a tendril of flame to curl around her fingers before extinguishing it to eat. Bronwyn moved a bookshelf. Olive floated up to the ceiling, and Millard had to pull her back down to eat. She'd already seen my bees, but Enoch made a show of revealing his talent, which disgusted her. Claire's talent was only explained, as she was too shy to show the mouth on the back of her head. Horace's was explained as well- the prophetic nightmares couldn't be called upon.

"And there you have it- my peculiar wards."

Iris nodded and gave a few compliments, her eyes shining with fascination. She looked around at each of us from her spot between Millard and Emma, and her eyes stopped randomly on me. They lingered for a moment and then she turned away.

"You fancy her," Horace whispered once the meal had begun. I elbowed him.

"Do not."

"Do to! You couldn't take your eyes off the girl!"

"I was curious, that's all."

Horace still stared at me for a moment, and then turned away, muttering something about how I still like Iris, even if I don't admit to it. Iris was oblivious, however, listening to Olive jabber away about life here. Iris told them a bit about her and I listened in to the questions.

"Are you in love with a normal?"

"No, but my mother wants me to marry one. She doesn't think of me as peculiar."

"Ooh, what's he like?"

"Irish, rich, probably not my type. It's arranged."

"Got something against rich people?"

"Not at all, just most of the ones I know are snobs."

"What is your type?"

"I- I'm not sure. I was never asked, really."

"What about a peculiar? Sometimes peculiars fall in love with each other."

"Well, I've only just met you all, and I've only a week to get to know you."

"Now, now, children- don't pester her, let the poor girl eat. She's taken in a lot of information today, and I'm sure she'd like a moment's rest."

Iris smiled, but said, "Thank you, but it's quite alright. I'd be curious if I were them, too- and I'd say my mental stamina is exceptional."

**A/N: My apologies on taking so long to update. More frequent updates to come! Promise!**


	5. Chapter Five

_Iris_

"Here are your clothes."

Miss Peregrine handed me the bundle and I took it gratefully. "Thank you."

"You should probably be leaving now- will you visit us again?"

I nodded at her and she smiled. "Would you like an escort back through the swamp?"

Immediately, Millard stood. "I'll take her."

But Miss Peregrine shook her head. "Millard, I need you here- Emma needs to learn a bit of the history, and I can't get her to pay attention in class."

Millard sighed, but went with it. Miss Peregrine looked around the lawn, and then a sly smile appeared. "Hugh!" The boy jerked his head and looked up at us from behind sunglasses, beginning to trot across the lawn. Hutch looked up at me.

"He likes you," the cat said, and I shook my head, nudging him with my foot. As Hugh made his way up here, Miss Peregrine looked at me with interest.

"So you and the cat really converse?" I nodded, and she continued. "That's quite a unique talent. Do you have many animal friends, then?"

I shrugged. "Some. I'm not much allowed outside. Mother says it isn't ladylike to go running about the forests."

Miss Peregrine frowned. "That's unfortunate- a talent such as yours could be very helpful. I'm sure it would assist Millard in his ventures; he's attempting to write an entire book on the daily happenings of the town. I'm sure he'd very much like to know a bit more on the animal's perspectives."

I smiled and said, "I'd happily help with that, if he'd like. Could I come back tomorrow morning?"

Miss Peregrine nodded, but by now Hugh had reached us. "Miss Thorne needs an escort through the swamp back to the cairn- Millard and Emma are busy, I was hoping you could walk her?"

Hugh glanced at me and nodded, and the two of us started off toward the swamp. We walked in silence for a bit, until Hugh coughed a bee flew out. I tried not to grimace. Hugh was watching my expression, and I looked down. "I'm sorry to always seem so disgusted by your power. It's quite incredible, really- I don't want you to think I'm not impressed. It's just the stupid, irrational fear of bees I have. Blame my mother for always making them out to be so horrible."

"'s alright. Most girls aren't too impressed."

I sighed and walked on, while Hutch eyed me. "He does…"

"Hush, Hutch, he doesn't," I snapped, and Hugh glanced at me.

"Who doesn't what?"

I shook my head. "Just silly cat babble."

"I do not babble," hissed Hutch. I huffed and looked over at Hugh.

"Never get a cat," I advised, and he chuckled, a bee flying out to land on his shoulder.

"I'm quite content with my bees, thanks. No worries of me getting a feline."

I laughed a bit and we lapsed into silence for a while longer, turning toward the path that led to the swamp. We pushed outstretched branches from our path, stepped over tree roots, and Hutch scattered about, chasing shadows and rustles. After a bit, Hugh spoke again. "How was it you found Millard before anyone else?"

I shrugged. "I was walking down the path and he appeared out of nowhere, it seemed- I tripped over him, actually. Had no idea who was telling me to watch my step."

Hugh nodded slowly. "So he was naked."

Looking away awkwardly, I said a slow yes, and Hutch snickered as he trotted back onto the path. By now, we'd reached the swamp and started to cross it, Hugh telling me where to step to stay dry. We got to the cairn and I paused. "Well, bye, Hugh. It was nice meeting you."

"Nice meeting you, too," he replied with a forced smile.

With that, I climbed into the cairn tunnel and started down.

I was soon back up at the top. The storm had now reduced to a drizzle, and Hutch was forced to sit on my shoulders while I tried to stay on the path Hugh had shown me through the swamp. Wind attempted to whip us off course and splashed mud onto my newly-cleaned skirt (I had left Emma's dress with her). I reached the other side of the swamp as the bitter chill was starting to seep into my bones, raising chill-bumps on my skin.

We headed off through the forest, mud squelching beneath our shoes. The previously howling wind was now reduced to a sea breeze, chilly and causing our damp clothes to seem all the colder. Once out of the swamp, I allowed Hutch to travel on his feet to warm up and dry off a bit. We reached the main path and carried on our way, heading back at a brisk pace that still didn't seem fast enough. The dark clouds from before had been replaced with pale gray clouds, and mist had settled over the island, rolling over the hills in a vast silver sheet. After an eternity wrapped into half an hour of cold, damp discomfort, we finally reached Aunt Imogene's house and immediately stepped in.

"Good heavens, child! You're shaking!" Aunt Imogene exclaimed, standing from her table where she'd been eating porridge. "Quickly, go into my room and change into something warm. Grab a blanket or two from the linen closet, I'll put on some tea."

I did as she said gratefully. As I changed, Hutch cleaned himself vigorously, smoothing his wind-spiked fur. The rain tapped the tin roof, inducing serenity, and once I was dressed warmly and wrapped in a blanket, I lifted Hutch into my arms to help warm him up. I stepped out to see Aunt Imogene in one of the armchairs by the fire. A pot of water was heating over the flickering flame as the wood crackled and shifted. I took a seat and Hutch circled my lap before curling up against my stomach and closing his eyes.

"Where were you?"

Aunt Imogene's question was sharp and stern. I steadied myself- I'd met an invisible boy, braved a thunderstorm, and explored an ancient tomb just to time-travel; I can handle a bit of reprimanding. "I took Hutch for a walk, the storm started up, and we took shelter until it was over."

Aunt Imogene narrowed her eyes. "Is that all?"

"Yes," I answered dryly.

"Iris, you're in my care, and while I try to be very supportive of exploration, I simply can't allow you to run off unaccounted for, especially in a storm like this! You didn't leave a note, I just awoke to find you had vanished and a storm was rolling. I can't allow you to run off alone, either- you'll have to find an escort next time. And no, the cat doesn't count. A young lady like yourself just isn't safe out there alone."

I exhaled a mixture of frustration and guilt, feeling Hutch unsheathe his claws at her comment against him. A long silence fell between us, interrupted after a while by the whistling of the tea kettle. She handed me a cup of tea and I thanked her, and then finally spoke. "I'm sorry I ran off. I love exploring, but I never get to- Mother says it's not ladylike. I was too excited, too eager, too energetic to think rationally. I'll leave a note and find an escort next time, and I'll make sure to explore only in good weather."

Aunt Imogene's thin, wide lips curled into a hint of a smile as she sipped her tea. "Thank you- I'm not very fond of being cross, especially with relations or youth."

I smiled as well and looked around- to see something rather intriguing. "Aunt Imogene, who's that a picture of?"

It was a man. He sat on a cinder block, a solder it seemed, in a round building filled with shrapnel. Aunt Imogene sighed but wore a small smile.

"That was my husband. I was very interested in photography at the time, found it fascinating. It was 1940, early September, the sixth I think, in London. A German air-raid hit a citadel my Daniel was stationed near- a citadel he cared about. It was a place he'd go to so he could think, and the bomb that hit it devastated him. We rushed over immediately, me following him into the storm with my camera in case I saw anything worth photographing. He reached the citadel and sat on a brick, and the emotion of numb sorrow was so defined I couldn't bring myself not to photograph it. He died that day- I was evacuated with my son, who was ten at the time, and received the letter a month later from an Irish fighting for the Allies. My son left soon after with a caretaker who said his talents would be appreciated, and I couldn't take care of him anyway. I haven't seen him since, though I miss him dearly; I'll leave him to whoever he's with- at least he's happy there."

I frowned. "You can't be sure he's so happy. He likely misses you just as much, Aunt Imogene- you're very maternal, and he probably misses his mother."

"He might, but it's been six years and I haven't even got a letter from him. He's better off without me. Enough of this, though; your mother tells me you think your cat can talk to you. Normally, I'd say that's poppycock, but I'll give my own kin the benefit of a doubt. Have you any way to prove this talent?"

I smiled at this. It was true that Mother had no belief in my powers, and simply thought I was insane- she'd taught me from a young age that it was wrong of me to be able to communicate with animals, that if I could it wasn't natural, and to keep hidden. Now, someone wasn't immediately doubting me. I woke the cat. "Hutch, do you feel like putting on a show?"

The cat perked his head up and simply mewed, "Anytime. What am I to do?"

"Sit, stand, lick your shoulder, and go paw at Aunt Imogene. Aunt Imogene, whisper him a secret, and he'll reveal it to me." Hutch did exactly as I instructed, and then she whispered in his ear. He turned to me from the arm of her chair.

"She says there is a hint of honey for your tea in the cabinet above the fish cooler."

I followed his directions, opened the cabinet, and poured honey into my tea. I turned around, leaning on the counter, and took a sip. My aunt had a look of delighted surprise- she was beaming at me, her eyes wide.

"He could be well-trained and you could have heard, but I believe in you. Oh! Have you ever considered dressing him up?"

Hutch flattened his ears and ducked behind me.

"Don't even think about it."

**A/N: Special thanks to "Guest" who left a review alerting me to the fact that this chapter somehow got lost and was instead a bunch of random words lost in formatting codes. It's fixed now.**


	6. Chapter Six

That evening, Aunt Imogene put me in a more fanciful dress- still warm, not too formal, but a bit better-looking than the wool robe I'd been in earlier- to go out to eat. I wore this and we headed into the town, being forced to leave Hutch behind, as he couldn't come inside the pub we were going in (The Meddled Minstrel, same place I first visited). We reached it in little time and stepped inside, being seated. Several people stopped by the table we sat at, asking Aunt Imogene who I was. Each time, she answered similarly- her niece, Iris, visiting before getting married to a rich Irishman.

A little late in the evening, Aunt Imogene had drank a bit of wine and I'd had my fill. The pub was crowded, Aunt Imogene distracted, and I was getting a bit overwhelmed. I excused myself and stepped outside, where the clouds had parted to reveal millions more stars than I'd ever seen from home. The moon was a gibbous, a hazy image behind a thin layer of illuminated silver cloud, all of this painted onto a blue velvet canvas. I leaned against a post, staring up at it in fascination- I'd never seen the sky appear so beautiful before. I was alone out here, left to my thoughts, the only sounds being the waves chasing each other and the occasional clanking of a lone worker. Somewhere, a dog barked, and another joined it. I heard the sweep of a broom against stone and the faint cooing of a night bird. These sounds were then joined by the gentle thrumming of a steamboat, and I looked over to see a puff of smoke rising into the sky, a short distance off in the sea. Curiosity got the best of me.

After glancing at the pub, I started slowly down the sloped walkway, until the heel of my shoe hit the dock. I stepped forward a bit, wrapping one hand around a wooden post that protruded from the base of the dock, ropes tied between it and the next one and the one after that and so on, at common intervals. The boat I'd ridden here on was gone, but a few fishermen's boats lined the dock. Barrels and crates sat on the boards. Somewhere in the dark gray waves a fish splashed out of the water and fell again to its aquatic sanctuary. I stood there in my solitude, feeling the chill of the sea breeze fall over me in my thick coat that I wore over the dress. The breeze toyed with my hair and I let my eyes close, taking a few deep breaths of the fresh air.

I stayed like this in a meditative state of solitude for a while, until the dock rocked suddenly. My eyes flashed open and I looked around- the steamer had just reached the dock, bumping it a bit. Men climbed the deck, lassoing ropes around the posts to keep the boat next to it. Three passengers hopped off, thanking the captain for the ride. One was a teenage boy, not much older than I was, with dark circles under his eyes as though he hadn't slept in a while. Another wore a thick band of cloth around his eyes, shaggy hair falling in unhealthy waves around his head. He tapped a cane around the dock and I immediately offered help, but he gruffly said he could handle himself./p  
p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-size: 18px; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 24px; padding: 0px; color: #555555;" data-p-id="9375ab4c4f571bd0e5f8a7c243ae6728"The third of these passengers looked to be sixteen, a boy like the other, who looked around in wonder upon first setting his feet on the deck. He had sharp features, and a dulled smile, his hair short and dark. He wore a button-down, its pale color whitewashed by the moonlight, and slacks, bottomed by dress shoes. He carried an alligator skin suitcase in one hand and a cane in the other, though he seemed to walk fine.

"Hullo!" He called cheerily to me, tipping his head a bit. I smiled.

"Hello, there," I replied and he stepped down the dock, stopping next to me.

"Been a while since I seen you," he greeted me.

I cocked my head to the side."I can't recall us meeting."/p

He tapped a finger on his chin. "Are you not Abigail Charles?"

With an amused smile, I shook my head. "Sorry, but I can't say I am."

He smiled back. "Well then, I'll have to find her later. You look just bloody like her! I'm Noah, by the way. Noah Warbler."

"Thorne, aye? I know of a Thorne or two around here- and a boatload more in the woods!" He laughed a bit and I chuckled for him, and he patted my arm. "You're good company- often, I get slapped by women. Nice to find one with a sense of humor. Say, you seen anyone unusual around here? Anyone snoopin' around?"

I shook my head. "Can't say I have, but I've only just arrived here myself- yesterday, even. I'm visiting my aunt."

Before our conversation could continue, a voice barked from back on the walkway. "Noah! Come back 'ere! We're on business!"

I turned around to see the other- a handsome fellow, tall and muscled, with dark hair similar to Noah's. "Is that your brother?"

Noah shook his head. "Good friend, Abe- as he said, we're here on business. Cheerio, I hope to see you again soon! Keep an eye ou' for me, will you? See anyone suspicious, let me know _immediately_."

I cocked my head a bit. "Are you two some kind of police?"

He grinned. "Somethin' like that, yeah."

The next morning I woke up early again. This time, it was to a faint knocking- it sounded like that of a woodpecker, and curiosity got the better of me once more. I stood in the warm nightgown, stretching the cold from my bones. I headed out of the room, and Hutch followed after. He and I'd had a not-so-pleasant conversation the night before- he didn't seem happy I'd just run off, or any happier that I'd waited until then to fill him in on wights and hollowgast, and once I had filled him in, he was even more angry that I went over to the newcomers the night before. Now, it was the morning, and the tabby seemed grumpy as ever.

I walked across the house, vowing in a whisper to Hutch and myself that I wouldn't run off today. I wasn't wearing shoes, so how could I? But as I reached the other end, I realized the knocking was actually a fist upon the door, and I opened it.  
"Well, good morning. Didn't expect to see you again so soon!"

It was Noah. Abe stood just behind him, looking bored. Noah continued. "I've been doing a bit of research- the island seems to hold a whole lot o' mystery, but that ain't what I'm here for. You seen anyone yet?"

"Can't say I have," I answered, and Noah sighed.

Abe then spoke. "Come on, Noah- stop wasting time."

Noah cut his eyes at Abe, and then turned to me. "S'pose he's right; farewell, take care o' yourself, and don't go nowhere alone."

An idea spurred out of nowhere. "Wait- can you help me with something around noon?"

Noah smiled. "I think I can make that happen. What you need?"

"An escort." 

**A/N: Thanks for reading/reviewing, lovelies! Sorry about the code thing, it does that sometimes. It should be fixed now!**


	7. Chapter Seven

"It should be around here somewhere," I called over my shoulder. Hutch had already slipped into the forest, and likely through the loop. I, however, was stuck with Noah- I'd introduced Abe to my aunt, as he was the calmer of the two, and she gave me permission to go walking with him, as long as that was all that happened (I am engaged, after all- no impropriety could happen). I assured her it would be, but now I had to find a way to slip off.

The forest seemed to do this for me.

There was a sudden sharp bark, followed by a growl. From a patch of shrubbery a red fox crawled, baring its teeth in a snarl.

"Iris, run!" Noah shouted, taking off. I took a few steps to make it seem I was going to, and then stopped and turned around. I knelt down so that I could see the fox more closely.

"Well, hello there," I greeted it. The fox shook its head.

"Now's not the time, Iris Thorne. I am Daley, patron to my den, and we're in need of your help," he said quickly. I brought myself to my feet.

"What's happened?"

Daley bent his head a bit, shaking it. "My love, Cherry, seems to have vanished, as have several sheep- we found them slaughtered. We pulled them into the woods so that the humans wouldn't worry too much, but it seems there are larger problems on our hands. Animals don't just die, and vixens don't just vanish. Do you think you can help us?"

I paused, taking a deep breath. "I might be able to- but it won't just be me. I'll need other help. Can you walk me to the cairn?"

Daley cocked his head, looking at me without understanding. I took a deep breath and tried again. "The pile of stones with a tunnel going through it? On the edge of the bog?"

"Oh! Yes, the Oldstones," said Daley, seeming to understand now, "I can get you to those. Who was that other human?"

He began to trot briskly and I walked next to him at a fast pace. "That was Noah, I'm here on this island to visit my aunt, and she required I have an escort. I assume they'll be quite upset that I vanished, but I can't see how anything else would work."

Daley nodded. "So what do you need in the Oldstones?"

"I have to cross through them- they move me to another world of sorts."

Daley eyed me warily. "Shamanism?"

I shook my head. "It's a bit more peculiar."

We crossed around the edge of the swamp, as it was still partially flooded despite the cloudless sky- all the storm clouds had been carried away by strong gusts of wind that now shook the trees in their roots. We reached the cairn before too long, and I thanked Daley for walking me there and promised I'd find him help. Then I dropped to my knees in a dark brown skirt this time, a light blue button down that I rolled up the sleeves of, and crawled quickly down. When I got to the bottom, the chilly, musty air shifted and my ears popped, and I began to crawl back up. I reached the top before too terribly long at all to see an unexpected sight.

Hugh stood there, panting, and had a crazed look in his eyes. "I-Iris," he panted, "You- you have to, to get back to Miss P, fast."

And just like that, we were sprinting. We reached the orphanage in little time at all, and inside, all the children sat at the table solemnly. Miss Peregrine was at the head of the table, her expression grim. Hugh and I paused, catching our breath, and I wheezed a greeting. She looked up at me nervously.

"Iris, there's a bit of a situation we need your help with."

"You'll probably want to sit down," Bronwyn advised, and I did so. The large girl was intimidating- she could've told me to sit on the roof and I likely would've. Miss Peregrine took a breath, and then began.

"You remember I told you of hollowgast and wights." I nodded. "You're in a bit of danger- we didn't realize this. There's a wight on Cairnholm right now. He just showed up there and he's already been sneaking around the island looking for the entrance to our loop- I barely spotted him this morning, searching the swamp. Unfortunately, this means I can't let you go back for a while. You're not safe there."

I raised my eyebrows at this. "Am I any safer here? Can wights travel through the loop?"

Miss Peregrine paused, clearing her throat. "I'm not sure. As far as we know, only peculiars can travel through loops, but- wait. Your cat; how can it travel through? Normals can't."

Hutch then decided to make his appearance, hopping into the window from a tree branch. "I heard reference to me?"

I gulped. "I- I'm not sure."

Hutch twitched an ear, sitting in the window sill. Miss Peregrine made eye contact with Emma, who was sitting closest, and both exchanged subtle nods. Hutch was licking the ruffled fur of his shoulder, when Emma lunged. But at the last second, Hutch seemed to be snatched into the air and hang limply.

"Get your filthy hands off me!" He yowled, and I realized what was happening as Hutch began to flail.

"Millard, give me the cat, please," I requested.

"Don't."

My head whipped over and I made eye contact with Miss Peregrine. She met my glare with her own sharp gaze. Without breaking eye contact, she said to Millard, "Give me the cat. Now."

Hutch shifted through the air and landed in Miss Peregrine's outstretched hands. I leapt to my feet. "If you hurt him-"

"What, you gonna order some foxes against her? You'd have us to deal with," Enoch interjected. Miss Peregrine cut her eyes at him and then turned back to me.

"I won't harm him. I actually need your assistance for this, so you'll be here the whole time," Miss Peregrine said. Dejected, Hutch let his eyes fall toward the ground, and Miss Peregrine petted his head for a short minute. He glared and made eye contact with me, but my heart was pounding in my chest, a million half-threats racing through my mind, as I couldn't form a full thought.

Finally I sighed. "What is it that you're going to do?"

Miss Peregrine created a civil plastered grin. "I was hoping you'd cooperate. Now then, ask the cat what his peculiar ability is."

Hutch flattened his ears, growling, "I can hear her perfectly well."

I took a short breath and turned to him. "I don't think she knows that, Hutch. But really, I'll have to know what it is- please tell me."

Hutch grumbled a bit, and then sighed. "I can walk in the dreams of others. I can give omens if they need it, or I can simply mess with their dreams or avoid a nightmare of my own. I've always been able to, I actually keep in touch with my old family."

Realization dawned over me. "So all those times, that was really you?"

He nodded and licked his paw casually. "I didn't see a reason to tell you- you passed them off as simple dreams, and were only mildly surprised when the omens came true, saying it was a coincidence or crediting it to your own power."

All of this passed in very short time, and it took me a moment to remember why this was being revealed. I shook myself mentally, and composed myself before turning back to Miss Peregrine. "His peculiarity is the ability to walk in the dreams of others, and occasionally giving them omens if it's needed."

Miss Peregrine nodded and her hold on Hutch lapsed. He trotted across the room with his tail low and ears flat, a mixture of chagrined and scornful. He sat down at the base of my chair, beginning to lick his paw and smooth his whiskers.

"Can he really do all of that?" Horace piped up. "That's quite impressive- I have nightmares that can predict the future."

Miss Peregrine looked back over at me. "Horace's words are true. It's how we discovered there was a wight. Thank you, though- I'm sorry for my rough treatment of your feline friend."

I nodded coolly. "Just so long as you don't do it again. Mere curiosity is no valid reason for your unreasonably harsh treatment of Hutch. You wouldn't squish one of Hugh's bees or behead one of Enoch's creatures, or pour water on Emma's flame."

Miss Peregrine bowed her head slightly. "I'm sorry, truly. It was wrong of me to be so unruly. As for now, children, please find yourselves something to do. We'll have class this afternoon- Iris, that includes you- and until then I'll hear nothing more of this wight, not even idle chatter or gossiping. It's a matter between Iris and me. I expect one of you will entertain her for the afternoon. Also, Millard, dress yourself."

With that, she left. The children went outside and I remained seated with Hutch, neither of us much in the mood for talking. I thought about what had passed. My cat was a telepathic prophet. A vicious abomination trapped in a human body hunted me. I was stuck five years and five months in the past for the next seventeen or so hours. And now that Hutch has left for a nap in some sunny patch of grass or a rug, I'm alone.

I wanted to square my shoulders and go outside and socialize with the others; but now that I knew where their loyalties lie I felt intimidated. I'd been here only once before and the only person who had yet to show a sign of hostility was Millard. I didn't want to pester him, though; I'd made entertaining me his responsibility more than I'd have liked to. I'm sure he'd like some time of his own.

"What're ye thinking so hard on?"

Started, I jumped and looked- Hugh, of all the people here. I sighed. "Nothing of consequence."

Hugh looked skeptic. "I doubt that- you've much to think about."

"I know."

Hugh gulped, and then, "Would you, um- would you like to walk with me? You know, get your mind off things?"

I looked up at him. "Really? I mean, don't do it if you just feel obligated because Miss Peregrine asked you lot to entertain me."

Hugh's eyes flashed and a bee that had been floating around him now swirled in irritated circles. "Believe me, if it were a sense of obligation, I'd have sent Olive instead."

I stood and pushed my chair in. "I'm sorry, alright? I'm tense and suspicious. I do appreciate your offer and I'll gladly walk with you if you'll still have me."

Hugh offered a small, forced smile. "Let's go, then."

We headed out, and began roaming the perimeter, making small talk, until an attempt to get to know each other a bit better became another small quarrel. I'd never been as argumentative as I'd been lately.

"What's your favorite season?"

"Fall- the leaves are changing, and there are never as many animals as there are then."

"Fall?! But it's so cold, and there's not nearly as many bees!"

"It's not that cold! I think it feels rather lovely at that time of year! Well, what's your favorite season?"

"Spring- plants, flowers, sunlight, light rain, bees and wasps everywhere; it's fantastic."

"That does sound nice, but-"

"And, there's even more animals. It's the time many animals have young. How can you possibly pick another time of year?"

"You asked the question! Were you just looking for an argument? Some could say winter's the best with cozy nights in and snowball fights, or summer, with hot days and swimming. Not everyone's opinion is identical to yours, you have to forgive them for that and accept their differences as their peculiarities."

"Look at where I live- accepting others' peculiarities is the story of my life."

I huffed and looked away, my arms folded. By now, we were a few feet into the woods, a carpet of dry leaves crunching beneath our feet. Golden sunlight poured through the trees, dappling the forest in gold and shadows. I paused then, and he did when he noticed I had. I looked in one of his eyes and laughed a bit. "Are we only ever going to argue?"

He chuckled. "Well, we're laughing now, so I suppose not."

"You know what I meant," I retorted, and then laughed again. "I'm sorry, I'm not usually so rude. I've been ladylike all my life, and then I get here, and…"

He cut me off. "It's because here you feel free and understood. We're almost like a fantasy universe to you- you could leave and never come back at any point and it wouldn't make a speck of difference to you."

I cocked my head. "Yes, it would. I'd have a higher tolerance for bees."

Hugh's grin grew. "Would you like to hold one? I promise he won't sting you."

"Yes."

I took a deep breath and held out a hand. He opened his mouth and one flew out. It buzzed slowly forward to land on my open palm. "That's Charles. He's the sweetest of my bees- a honeybee."

Charles stepped around a bit on my palm and I surprised myself by not freaking out or even flinching. Instead, I was intrigued- it wasn't as threatening as I'd always thought bees to be. Actually holding one I saw they could be tame, and not the wild, stinging creatures my mother had biased me to see them as.

"It's… It's kind of sweet, really," I said quietly, looking at the bee with fascination. A faint breeze breathed through and Charles stumbled a bit, and I immediately lifted my other hand to steady him. The bee buzzed up and landed on my shoulder for a moment.

"So are you."

Hugh's comment surprised me and I looked up to see him smiling, and then he opened his mouth and Charles flew back and the moment was over, just like that. We proceeded to walk the grounds a bit and I saw a topiary that looked like Michelangelo's "Adam". I realized that was what it was- you could even see the features on his face, the definition of his muscles. He had one finger outstretched to the sky and was leaning back on one elbow.

"Hugh, who made the topiaries? They're incredible," I commented, and looked over at him.

"That was Fiona. She's an incredible person- her peculiarity is to move and grow trees and bushes. She made all the topiary and takes joy in maintaining the gardens on the grounds. Right now, though, she's visiting another ymbryne's loop- she has a friend there, won't be back for a week or two."

"She sounds incredible," I replied, admiring her work. A few of Hugh's bees buzzed around a small patch of tulips and gardenias, pollenating busily.

"She is, but she doesn't talk much. She came here from Ireland, introduced herself, and hasn't spoken much to me since. She talks to Miss Peregrine more than anyone and even then it's not much. The only time she really smiles is when she impresses herself with the topiary- like the day she created Adam," Hugh explained.

"The poor girl; do you know why she doesn't talk much?"

He shook his head, and we continued to walk, making idle small-talk. After a while of walking, we sat on a small ridge, laying back in the grass and making shapes out of the clouds. We were informed classes were cancelled, in honor of our guest. Emma was making fire dance, and Enoch had one of his homunculi trying to catch the fire. Horace sat with Olive, the two of them drawing while Claire paced in front of them, begging to play tag. A headless suit sat under a tree with a book on its lap- Millard, reading, as usual. The sun was only just beginning to lower itself, not too far above the trees, and the afternoon was pleasant.

After a little while, we heard Millard's voice calling from the porch: "Come one, come all, to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children's invitation-only party!"

I sat up, as did Hugh, and we glanced at each other. The other children were clapping excitedly and starting for the house. I looked at Hugh, and he looked at me, and we leapt to our feet, following the other children at a brisk pace. Hugh, as we walked, allowed his hand to brush mine once, but it never escalated further, and we reached the house in little time. A jazzy, cheerful tune flowed out of the parlor, and I walked in to see a floating suit, now with a hat atop it, dancing a bit; Olive and Claire were doing some kind of square dance; Horace tipped his hat; Emma forced Bronwyn to the dance floor; and even Enoch seemed happy.

"What's the occasion, Miss P?" Hugh called, and the ymbryne smiled.

"Just a bit of a welcome party for our new guest- she'll be here till the morning at least, until I can check and make sure the way back is safe, and I figure we could cheer her up and make up for our unreasonable treatment of her companion," Miss P explained. "We'll listen to music, I've prepared food and beverage, just be careful and nobody is allowed to make any negative comments. Be friendly, socialize, dance, and enjoy yourselves for once."

Collectively we applauded, and then returned to dancing. Hugh grabbed my hand and led me to the middle of the room, and the song had such a cheerful melody I couldn't stand still. Hugh was a surprisingly good dance partner- though I traded out as the night passed on. We all ended up with a partner, though Claire and Olive mainly danced with each other (except at one point when Claire was paired with Horace and Olive with Enoch). By the end of the night, I'd waltzed, tangoed, square-danced, even done dances none of us had seen before, with Hugh, Millard, Horace, Emma, Bronwyn, Olive, and more Hugh (I danced with him quite a bit).

By the end of the night, we turned down the record player and all sat around, stuffed from refreshments with a glass of beverage, and were playing a game called Picked Peculiar. It was where one peculiar picks a peculiarity they admire or would like to have, and the others try to guess, and whoever guesses it first gets a point and gets to go next. Whoever collected thirteen points first is deemed winner.

It was Millard's turn now.

"To create homunculi?" Enoch guessed.

"To float?" suggested Claire.

"To control dreams?" Emma called.

"To read minds?"

"Hugh got it!"

Hugh silently cheered while Millard chuckled. Hugh was currently at eleven points, as was I- the rest were around four or five, Emma at eight, and Mill at nine. Hugh thought for a moment, and then said, "Alright, I've got one."

Immediately, everyone was guessing.

"Control the weather?"

"Telekinetic?"

"Talk to spirits?"

"Talk to _gods_?"

"Talk to animals?"

"Bronwyn guessed it."

Bronwyn did a short victory dance, and I looked over at Hugh, surprised. He winked at me and the game continued.

In the end, Millard pulled ahead and beat us all, followed by Hugh and then me, then Bronwyn, Horace, Claire, Emma, Olive, and Enoch. Miss Peregrine told us all it was time for bed anyways, as it was nearly midnight. But she had one more announcement to make.

"I'll wake Iris in the morning early, but I'm going to need a sentinel to guard her; a peculiar's first night in a loop can be an odd experience, and I don't want her powers to strengthen in her sleep- it's happened before. I'm thinking you all can take shifts- the older kids, with more… Defensive, if you will, powers. It won't be long shifts, I promise, but which of you would like to take the job?"

It took an awkward moment, but then Emma rose her hand, and was followed by Hugh, and Bronwyn. Miss Peregrine smiled in approval.

"Good, thank you. Emma, you can take your shift from bedtime till half past two, then Bronwyn, you take over until half past four, and Hugh, you take it until a quarter to seven, when I'll wake her."

We all nodded and headed off to our respective duties- meaning most of us went to a bedroom, and Miss Peregrine lead me upstairs to a guest bedroom. Again, Emma loaned me a change of clothes- this time to sleep in- and looked away respectfully while I changed. We headed back to the guest bedroom and I laid down. I thanked Emma and said goodnight, and she nodded, stationing herself with her back to the doorframe, sitting on the wood tiles by the light of her flame. The faint whispering of the fire echoed through the room with a dim orange glow, and I was soon asleep.


	8. Chapter Eight

_Hugh_

I woke around four from an odd dream I couldn't fully remember, and couldn't fall back asleep. I just wasn't tired anymore. I pulled myself out of bed and yawned, stretching, before combing my fingers through my hair. I changed slowly, clumsy from grogginess, into slacks and a button-down, my usual outfit. Once changed, I headed into the guest room and made eye contact with Bronwyn, whose heavy frame sagged by the window as she tiredly kept watch. I nodded toward her room and she smiled in gratitude and headed off.

I crept quietly across the dark room and seated myself at a desk that sat perched near the wall, a chair in front of it. I sat on it and opened my jaws, allowing my bees to flow out and dance around a bit. I synchronized them, replaying that cheery jazz song from earlier in my head as they danced in zigzag circles. I heard a faint murmur and lost my focus, turning to Iris's bed as the bees buzzed back to me. I looked over and she was shifting in her sleep, whimpering a bit as she lifted her hands. Her foot jerked to the side and she turned the other direction, and her breathing was coming faster, more panting than anything else.

Immediately I was on my feet, across the room, on the side of the bed, shaking her gently. She woke with a jolt, and upon seeing me she flung herself upon me, her arms around my shoulders.

"Hugh, I was so scared," she whispered, shaking like a leaf in the wind. I held her close, her face buried in my shoulder.

"Sh, it's okay, I'm here; it's okay now, I'll protect you," I murmured. We remained like that for a while, me reassuring her and her shaking, until finally she spoke again.

"Hold me."

I leaned back and looked at her and in her desperate eyes there was sincere fear. I nodded, unable to speak for my thrumming heart in my throat, and she laid back under the blankets. I laid down as well, above them, and she laid her head on my shoulder. I wrapped an arm around her and brought the other one over to her, but was uncertain of what to do with it. She had her hands wrapped around each other near her chest, and she took my hovering hand into her hands, curling hers around it and closing her eyes.

And as she lay there, curled against my side, a warmth began to grow inside me, and blossomed into something bigger.

I laid there for a while. She slept peacefully, her breathing evening out and her body growing just a tad limper beneath me. I thought back to earlier. When she'd held Charles.

The look in her eyes, the genuineness, the tenderness and care, it had been an incredible thing to see there. She seemed so bewildered, yet awed, and something in her had changed. Or maybe something in my view of her did. Whatever it was, things weren't the same now.

When we'd danced earlier I'd seen her eyes light up in a way they hadn't before. We weren't arguing for once. She'd been so alive, as spirited as I am, so happy. She'd been really enjoying herself- it was a refreshing change. She'd been so tense just that afternoon and then, somehow, when dancing to that jazz song, she was so ecstatic. She filled the room with her smile, her green eyes taking in every detail. Her laugh at the little things, like Enoch getting angry at not being able to dance or Hutch attempting to, had been like the tinkle of a bell. Her voice had been warm, smooth, a bringer of joy- like honey.

Charles buzzed out and I got the message. She just might be my honeybee.

_What about Fiona?_

The little voice in my head reminded me of my long-time crush. But the girl barely paid me the time of day, and right now she wasn't even here. She's never shown any indication of wanting to speak to me, despite my trying to talk to her. Besides, Iris will be gone in less than a week now- shouldn't I make the best of it while she's here?

Or will that put me through more pain? I could easily get attached and then just as suddenly she's gone. I'm left here to think about her and how it could've gone, while she's gone getting married. I haven't even been thinking about her fiancé- I've been completely selfish! The girl's engaged, and here I am, thinking about how lovely she is, the life in her pale green eyes, her peculiar friendship with her cat, how perfectly she fits curled up against me-

I'm not helping this at all.

The morning revealed itself as a faint glow through the windows, and I watched the tint on the curtains fade from blue, to periwinkle, to soft yellow, to gold. Then I heard Miss Peregrine's feet hit the floor beside her bed- in this house, mornings were quiet enough to hear a mouse's footsteps- and slowly inched away from Iris. She rolled over, mumbling a bit in her sleep, and I stood, relieved. I stepped over to the desk and sat in the chair as I had done before, and sat listening to Miss P's footsteps and Iris's even breathing.

About ten minutes later, Miss Peregrine stepped into the room, looking at the two of us. She spoke softly, as not to wake Iris, "I hadn't thought of how improper it could be for me to leave the two of you in here alone throughout the night. Thank you, Hugh, for being responsible. You look exhausted- go get some rest."

But I shook my head. "I haven't been able to sleep. Don't worry about it, Miss P; I'm fine."

She sighed, leaning on the doorframe. "I've noticed you and Iris are a bit close already. Hugh, please don't forget she'll be leaving- I wouldn't want you to get your heart broken."

"I'm fine, Miss P. I won't forget she's leaving," I said, standing up and stretching.

Miss Peregrine thought for a moment. "Hugh, would you like to take part in the conversation I have to have with her about the wight?"

I nodded eagerly. "Yes!"

Miss Peregrine smiled. "Excuse us for a moment, I'll wake her and she'll need a moment to make herself decent. I'll come find you before we start talking about it, I assure you."

I nodded and stepped out, going back to my room, which was shared with Millard. The invisible boy was still in bed, only noticeable by the head-shaped indention on his pillow and blankets pushed up. I put on my suspenders and shoes, and then spotted my sunglasses and put them on as well. All the bees were awake now, buzzing around inside me, and I opened a window. I let many of them fly out to enjoy the sunny day, and a few stayed in. They each had their own personalities- something not many people noticed, or cared to, really.

After a moment, voices carried through the wall woke Mill. He rolled over. "Are they about to have the conversation about the wight?"

I nodded. "I've been invited."

"Wish I could… Go…"

And just as fast, the invisible boy was asleep again. Miss Peregrine came to the doorway and crooked her finger at me, and I followed her down the hallway. We soon sat in the guest bedroom, Iris sitting on the edge of her bed. Miss Peregrine gestured for me to sit in the chair by the desk and she went to stand by the window.

"Alright, I guess the time has come for you to know the true origin of hollowgast and wights, Iris. _In_ ancient times people mistook us for gods, but we peculiars are no less mortal than common folk. Time loops merely delay the inevitable, and the price we pay for using them is hefty- an irrevocable divorce from the ongoing present. Long-term loop-dwellers can but dip their toes into the present lest they wither and die. This has been the arrangement since time immemorial.

"Some years ago, around the turn of the last century, a splitter faction emerged among our people- a coterie of disaffected peculiars with dangerous ideas. They believed they had discovered a method by which the function of time loops could be perverted to confer the user a kind of immortality; not merely the suspension of aging, but the reversal of it. They spoke of eternal youth enjoyed outside the confines of loops, of jumping back and forth from future to past with impunity, suffering none of the ill effects that have always prevented such recklessness- in other words, of mastering time without being mastered by death. The whole notion was mad- absolute bunkum- a refutation of the empirical laws that govern everything!"

She exhaled sharply, then paused for a moment to collect herself.

"In any case. My two brothers, technically brilliant but rather lacking in sense, were taken with the idea. They even had the audacity to request my assistance in making it a reality, as ymbrynes are manipulators of time. You're talking about making yourselves into gods, I said. It can't be done. And even if it can, it shouldn't. But they would not be deterred. Having grown up among Miss Avocet's ymbrynes-in-training as I did, they knew more about our unique art than most peculiar males- just enough, I'm afraid, to be dangerous. Despite my warnings, even threats, from the council, in the summer of 1908 my brothers and several hundred members of this renegade faction- a number of powerful ymbrynes among them, traitors every one- ventured into the Siberian tundra to conduct their hateful experiment. For the site they chose a nameless old loop unused for centuries. We expected them to return within a week, tails between their legs, humbled by the immutable nature of nature. Instead, their comeuppance was far more dramatic: a catastrophic explosion that rattled windows as far as the Azores. Anyone within five kilometers surely thought it was the end of the world. We assumed they'd all been killed, that obscene world-cracking bang their last collective utterance."

She paused, and Iris sat in thought, amazed and intrigued with her thoughts racing, before Miss Peregrine continued.

"In a manner of speaking. Others might call the state of being they subsequently assumed a kind of living damnation. Weeks later there began a series of attacks upon peculiars by awful creatures who, apart from their shadows, could not be seen except by some peculiars- our very first clashes with the hollowgast. It was some time before we realized these tentacle-mawed abominations were in fact our wayward brothers, crawled from the smoking crater left behind by their experiment. Rather than becoming gods, they had transformed themselves into devils."

"What went wrong?" Iris asked, her eyes wide. I'd heard the story before, but it was still spine-chilling.

"That is a matter of debate. One theory is that they reverse-aged themselves to a time before their souls had been conceived, which is why we call them hollowgast- because their hearts, their souls, are empty. In a cruel twist of irony, they achieved the immortality they'd been seeking. It's believed the hollows can live thousands of years, but it is a life of physical torment, of humiliating debasement- feeding on stray animals, living in isolation- and of insatiable hunger for the flesh of their former kin, because our blood is the only hope for their salvation. If a hollow gorges itself on enough peculiars, it becomes a wight.

"If being a hollow is a living hell- and it most certainly is- then being a wight is akin to purgatory. Wights are almost common. They have no peculiar abilities. But because they can pass for human, they live in servitude of their hollow brethren, acting as scouts and spies and procurers of flesh. It's a hierarchy of the damned that aims someday to turn all hollows into wights and all peculiars into corpses."

"If they were formerly peculiar, don't they know the hiding places?"

"Fortunately, they don't appear to retain any memory of their former lives. And though wights aren't as strong or as frightening as hollows, they're often just as dangerous. Unlike hollows, they're ruled by more than instinct, and are often able to blend into the general population. It can be difficult to distinguish them from the common folk, though there are certain indicators. Their eyes, for instance. Curiously, wights lack pupils.

"Wights are adept at passing unnoticed. They tend to adopt personas invisible to society: a train conductor; a doctor; the owner of a bar; just faces in the crowd. Though some have been known to risk exposure by placing themselves in more prominent position in order to interact with a greater number of people, or to have some measure of power among them, so that they can more easily discover peculiars who might be hiding among common people."

_*The text between the italicized "In" and the italicized "people" is property of Ransom Riggs, with only minor alterations; I take no credit for writing it, it is an excerpt from Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children*_

Iris sat with wide eyes. "So they could be anywhere?"

She nodded. "And we know there is one on the island in the present."

"How can you be sure? I mean, how did you find out?" Iris asked.

"Horace has nightmares that have a nasty habit of coming true- he dreamt it, and I saw new people arrive just last night."

Iris cocked her head to the side. "You were there? I greeted one of the newcomers- I'd grown incredibly bored of my aunt's party and stepped out to see the boat pull up, it was two young men and a blind elder."

Miss Peregrine exhaled slowly. "The elder is the one I'm afraid of- we couldn't see his pupils. The younger two… I'm not as worried about them."

Iris suddenly straightened her back, much more alert. "Wait- Miss Peregrine, the younger two were searching for someone as well. They asked me if I'd seen anything suspicious. Could they be wights?"

Miss Peregrine stilled, seeming tense, and shook her head. "I doubt it. You could be right, but there's a bit more to it that I can't tell you right now."

Iris's jaw dropped. "Why not? You told me all the rest, and-"

Miss Peregrine silenced her. "No, Iris. I'll explain before you leave, I promise, but now is not the time."

I perked up at this. "Why is now not the time? Is there a reason I shouldn't know?"

Miss Peregrine turned to me. "Hugh, it is a privilege for you to take part in this conversation. You should know by now that I act upon what is good for you, not to torture you."

I gritted my teeth and Iris spoke up again. "How do I know for sure when I find the wight?"

Miss Peregrine turned back to her. "He'll likely be looking for you, which is why I'm afraid to send you back. I understand you have to go back sometime, but I can't send one of my wards with you, and my power is limited to time control- useful, but not defensive. Have you made any animal friends that can keep an eye on you while you're back in your time?"

She shook her head, and then paused. "There's a fox- Daley- who warned me of the wight. I'm not sure if I could convince him to leave his forest, as he has kits and a mate, but perhaps he could help me find someone to keep an eye out."

Hutch crawled out from beneath the wardrobe and meowed something, and Iris shook her head at the cat. "I don't want you getting in danger, Hutch."

The cat meowed again, and Miss Peregrine and I watched curiously. Hutch leapt onto the bed and meowed a bit more, pressing a paw to Iris's forearm, and then Iris sighed and drew her hand over the cat's head. "Hutch says that he could visit the dreams of each human on the island, that the wight likely won't have dreams if it's considered to be a soulless monster. He can sense things in people as well- and he would've noticed the wight on the dock that night if he'd been there. He'd very much like to test it out, and he says he'll help me find an animal protector."

Miss Peregrine nodded. "Keep in mind you only need this until the end of your week here- do you think you can keep yourself safe for four more days? That's all you have left."

Iris looked down, her hands clasped together on her lap, and I noticed something change in her. A glint in her eyes, something about the way she carried herself- something shifted. She looked up at Miss Peregrine steadily.

"I don't want to hide for four days. In four days, I could come up with a battle strategy, I could fight. I could take down this wight. Of course, I'll need help from other peculiars, but you have enough here that could take down a wight."

Miss Peregrine's head whipped sharply around from where she'd been looking out the window. "Are you proposing the potential sacrifice of my children?! Wights are dangerous as I said- they're often accompanied by a hollow and it would be mighty foolish of you to go hunting one! How could you even propose such an idea?"

Iris was on her feet. "Well it's a lot better than just sitting around! I can't idly stand by while this wight and its hollow chase me around the island. I can't just hide in the woods. There are people on that island- stray animals- that need my help as well. I promised Daley I'd help him. If I leave the wight to kill him, I'm leaving the animals to die!"

Miss Peregrine's eyes flashed. "So you propose risking peculiars instead?"

"Are you suggesting any life is less valuable than another? There's a balance of nature- especially in an environment as small as the island's forest- and nature has already been perverted before by peculiars in the creation of wights. Allowing a perverse abomination to further pervert nature by destroying it is to back down, to give up! And wights are going to evolve eventually, they're going to find a way into the loops- you've got to do something! We can't just sit here! You have a girl who controls fire, a boy who controls bees, spectacular peculiarities such as super-strength and invisibility! And you want to sit idly? Put these powers to use, train them, we can fight, we can take down the wight and be free of the fear that comes with it. We can-"

"Enough, Iris! I'll not hear any more of this! I will not allow you to put my wards in danger. It is my job to protect them. They are children, not soldiers!"

"They could be soldiers- maybe they want to fight, but you've got them tucked so deeply into your wing they're voices are silenced in the stuffy feathers. You've got them living a fairytale- sunny days every day, nothing to ever go wrong, while your people die around the world! And now you have this opportunity to get revenge, to serve some justice, and you're completely abandoning it? What can one wight do? Its hollow is dangerous but perhaps if we find the wight in the day, we stand a chance, and can defeat the hollow that night. You said some peculiars can see hollows; let's find one."

Miss Peregrine was now glaring at Iris. "This is not the voice of the girl I allowed to stay in my home. My hospitality is at its end. I can't allow you to stay here and talk of this; you are allowed to visit, but not to stay overnight again or speak of wights."

"Fine, I'll leave now, then. Thank you for allowing me to stay."

Iris strode out and Miss Peregrine huffed. I turned to her. "You're just as bullheaded as she is- don't you think there's a possibility she's right?"

Miss Peregrine shook her head. "If it puts children in danger, it isn't right."

"Well, it's also not right to hide in fear and allow the wight to continue killing." I stood as well and started for the door.

"Hugh, where do you think you're going?"

"I can't leave the girl to bloody walk home alone."

And I can't leave her to face the bloody wight alone, either.


	9. Chapter Nine

_Iris_

I stepped off the bottom step and had one hand on the knob when feminine fingers wrapped around my wrist. I looked over to see Emma. She took a deep breath. "I'll walk you back to the cairn, there are things I need to say that can't be said here."

I just nodded and stepped out. She followed, as did Hutch, and as we started across the lawn she spoke. "I tried not to, but I ended up eavesdropping- and I think you're right. It's been five and a half years that we've been living in this house, hearing about the attacks, hiding in our loop. I understand your need to fight. Miss Peregrine said you can no longer speak of wights in our loop, and that she didn't want to hear the rest of us speak of the one on Cairnholm, but this island is our home and I'll not live in fear. Neither will you, and I can understand that. Bronwyn's very soft-hearted, strong as she is, and might not be as willing to help. I understand most of the children here adopt the mindset of the age they appear, but I have aged with time, not my body. I wouldn't want you to think I'm allowing myself to remain a young adolescent forever, and with my extra time I've learned how to conquer my power; even if I'm the only one to join you, you'll not be alone."

"Thank you, Iris. I wouldn't be alone anyhow, but it's refreshing to have someone who's really on my side, and has a power as extensive as yours."

"She's not the only one willing to help."

I turned to see Hugh and smiled. He took his turn to talk. "Miss P is wrong this time- she's got our best interest at heart, but what's the point of living a life of dishonor? Where's the honor in leaving our kind to die around us while we, as Iris put it, hide in our fairytale loop?"

"But that's why Abe left. We're safe here- and we can't see the hollows. How can we fight something we can't see?" Emma asked, and Hugh glanced at her.

"Who was Abe?" I asked, and Hugh and Emma both looked away. It was Hugh who answered.

"Abe was a peculiar who came here to escape the horrors of the holocaust. Orphaned by war, he lost all of his family members, and then when he heard about the hollows he left to fight them- he was one of the peculiars who could see them."

_Good friend, Abe- but as he said, we're here on business._

She knew. Miss Peregrine knew Abe had been with Noah when they arrived last night. That's why she didn't say anything. With how Emma's acting, she and Abe had been close. If there's a wight and Abe left to fight them, then Abe came back here- that's why Miss Peregrine said she wasn't worried about the young men. She knew it was Abe, come to fight the hollow and the wight. That's why she wasn't worried about sending me to do it, or risking the lives of her wards. That's why she didn't say anything about searching for a peculiar who could- she already knew one.

"Iris?"

I realized I had stopped in the middle of the path, my eyes wide and my lips parted. I looked up at them and shook myself. If they found out Abe was on the island, they'd likely want to go see him- he'd left for a just cause, something likely no one could talk him out, just as no one could talk me out of fighting them.

I'd get back to the island and find Abe and Noah. I'd make sure they were who I thought, and then I'd tell them of it, and fight alongside them. I wouldn't tell Emma or Hugh about Abe and Noah's reappearance, I would simply say I had a plan and if things get bad then we'll go back to my time together at some point and defeat the wight and hollow together. With Abe's guidance, we could see it- and therefore could kill it.

I shook myself, coming back to the path mentally. "I'm fine. Let's go."

We walked on in silence, both Hugh and Emma watching me, and even Hutch. Then Hutch meowed, "Wait- Abe and Noah. The boys from this morning, was that-"

"Yes, Hutch," I cut him off and the cat nodded, padding on uncertainly as he thought as deeply as I had been. I knew now what to do. I would keep my promise to Daley. It turned out the only help I needed from back in time was a bit more information. Maybe Hugh and Emma could help at some point, but right now, I had a wight to defeat.

Emma left us at the swamp, heading back alone to go talk to Millard and Enoch, the two she said would help us out the most, more than likely. Hugh and I crossed the swamp and paused outside the cairn.

"Iris, what have you been thinking about this whole time?" Hugh asked, his voice laced with concern. I looked at him, with his sunglasses perched above his hairline and his eyes wide with worry, and I knew once more that I couldn't tell him.

"A plan; Hutch knows how to find the wight, and I'm thinking of ways to defeat it. I also have to come up with some kind of way to excuse my overnight absence," I replied. Hugh thought for a moment.

"Does your aunt know about your powers?"

I shrugged. "She knows I can talk to Hutch, but I'm not sure if she believes it fully. I also have to apologize to my escort for disappearing- I snuck off."

Hugh thought a second longer. "Tell her you met a fox and it needed your help."

I clenched my jaw uncertainly. "It's not technically a lie, but I think she'd doubt me or misjudge me."

"It's worth a shot, and if it doesn't work, say you found the orphanage and were exploring and then when you left there was a… A hungry wolf, or a bear, and you hid in a tree until it went away."

I smiled meekly. "It's worth a shot."

Hugh then surprised me with a hug, pulling me to him and holding me there. I hugged him back, my head resting on his shoulder, and he kept me like that for a long moment. It was Hutch who ruined the moment- he nipped at my leg and I sighed, pulling away. My arms rested on Hugh's shoulders for a moment and his lingered by my sides, and my gaze flickered between his eyes until he leaned down and kissed my cheek.

"Goodbye, Iris. Don't hesitate to hide in the loop if things get nasty- please visit again, despite Miss P's uncordial words and behavior."

I shook my head. "She's been perfectly civil; I can't blame the woman for caring about you lot. I likely wouldn't allow you all to risk your lives for some stranger either if I were in her shoes- but I'm not her, I'm Iris. I won't be hiding in the loop at all, because things won't get nasty for me."

With that, I turned around and crawled into the tunnel. I reached the bottom and doubled back, crawling back up to see a partly cloudy day, a bit chillier than I'd like it to be, and Hutch sighed at what he saw. Daley sat waiting for us, his eyes wide and anxious.

"Did you find any help, syndrigasti?" He asked.

"It's an old word for peculiars," Hutch explained quickly. I nodded at Daley.

"I did, I think. Not back in time, though- here, on the island. I found information leading me to help and to the wight; has anything happened in my absence?"

Daley swished his tail back and forth. "Not too much- a few blackbirds were cawing earlier, but no one could see anything the matter."

I nodded. "Good; Daley, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Anything, for your help."

"I'm in need of an animalistic protector. Hutch can sense wights, but unfortunately he's a touch too small to do much defense. Do you know of any animals that can?"

Daley perked up. "Luckily for you, I do. Follow me."

He led the way around the swamp at a trot, his ears flat and his eyes darting with his tail low to the ground. Hutch cantered alongside him and I walked at a brisk pace behind the two, an unlikely pair of animals to see together. Finally, Daley cut away from the edge of the swamp, down a well-trodden path through the forest, an animal route unknown to humans. I'd likely have missed it if not for Daley. He led our now-single-file-line down the path, through briars and bushes until a large tangle of thorns stretched across the path about two and a half feet up, forcing me to my knees to crawl past.

On the other side, there was the den, and Daley commented, "We canines stick together, but you might want to watch out- Fenrir isn't very friendly."


	10. Chapter Ten

I recognized the name from Norse mythology- Fenrir, wolfish son of Loki, the god of mischief and destruction. Fenrir had been said to overcome all of the gods' chains and ropes, until a thread was made from mystical elements. The den before us seemed perfect for such a creature- dark, a hollowed-out tunnel in a ridge. Daley paused outside of it.

"Fenrir, you have company- it's important."

Something heavy shifted inside the small cave. I sat back with my toes perpendicular to the ground and my rump resting on my heels. I folded my hands on my thighs and waited. Hutch dashed behind me, peeking out from behind my hip, and something placed one heavy paw on the ground. Then another. Two more. Yellow eyes glinted out of the darkness and a cloud passed in front of the sun, washing the world in shade. The end of a muzzle appeared with a great, shiny black nose, black around the lips and white around the black, with faint brown fading back toward the eyes. The snout was followed with a massive head- gleaming amber eyes stared from the end of the patch of brown fur, which led into shades of gray. The wolf came the rest of the way out, menacing and causing my courage to waver.

"Who calls upon Fenrir?"

The voice was a deep rumble, a growl almost. I swallowed heavily and then said, "I do."

My voice came out small and Fenrir looked at me with disdain. "You speak the tongue of animals. But how do I know this means I can trust you?" He paused, and then narrowed his eyes at a spot behind me. "You bring a feline; yet you call upon the help of canines. What, are you out of options? How can you be so naïve as to expect help from a wolf if you come bearing a cat?" He licked his lips. "Or is it an offering?"

Hutch hissed and was about to speak when I interrupted him. "Hutch is my companion. I seek your help for the good of the island's animals, I do not wish to disrespect you. There is a menace prowling the island in search of _syndrigasti_ like me, and it has already begun slaughtering animals. Daley here came to me to request my help in defeating it and I'm doing what I can, but whenever night falls the menace is at his most powerful, while I'm at my weakest from need for sleep."

"So you came to me," Fenrir concluded, "expecting I'd gladly assist you. You were wrong, peculiar- I know your kind and how your kind tends to behave toward animals. A peculiar killed two of my pups, and now you ask me for my help." Fenrir's rumbling voice lowered to a growl. "I'll not assist you- the very peculiar that killed my pups had known me! Spoken to me before!"

I flinched. "I could never kill a pup! I assure you if I were able to find that person, I'd bring them justice. As it is, the only justice I can bring is the injustice of menaces like the one on the island killing off my kind- just as you wouldn't want to sit idly during the slaughter of your kind, I can't sit back and watch mine die. Hutch can warn me of an oncoming wight, the name of the menace's kind, but I can't defend myself."

Daley spoke up then. "I was hoping you would assist her- she's promised to do all of this defense because I asked her to."

I nodded and continued. "There is a possibility that the 'peculiar' that killed your pups was a wight as well- they take the form of humans and use it to trick others. They're masters of disguise. They can only get this form by killing enough peculiars, though- so if one of them was able to talk to you and then the wight killed it, that could explain. The wights have to feed their pets- hollows- stray animals and humans to stay alive while the hollows search for peculiars to kill to become human again. If you help me, we can take them down."

Fenrir growled and pulled himself to his feet. "Very well; but I'll not be doing this alone. We'll call everyone to the Aspen Spring," Fenrir added to Daley.

With that, the wolf started to plod through the forest. Daley fell in behind him and I behind Daley, with Hutch nervously taking the rear. The poor cat was frightened out of his wits.

The forest whispered of life around us, the trees shivering in the breeze and birds hopping between branches. Mushrooms sprouted from the carpet of dead leaves and vines crept over fallen logs. The gray clouds molded together in the sky, sweeping the forest in shade as they had earlier but this time holding it there. The usually strong winds had ceased, replaced with faint bits of breeze. Fenrir led us higher up on the mountainous island, into ultramontane territory even, and there, on the other side of the peak, an aspen tree sat above a spring next to a rocky ledge that cropped over the spring a bit. Here Fenrir sat and Daley next to him. I spotted a stump on the other side of the ledge and sat on that. A patch of forest had been cut out, it seemed- it was a clearing that dipped from the land around it a bit, maybe the size of an average bedroom, with dark green grass sprouting and then falling away to the pebbled bank of the spring. Fenrir threw his head back and howled, a deep, soulful sound. The forest was quieted for a moment afterward- and then sprang to life more than before. The previous whispers of life were replaced with animals bounding toward the clearing.

Rabbits hopped from their warren and perched on the edge of the clearing. Badgers lumbered out into the daylight, perching with bleary, squinted eyes. Deer stood cautiously on the edge, just behind the rabbits, and voles and mice crowded around their feet. Birds of all sorts flocked in the branches of nearby trees, from canaries to hawks. Raccoons came in with a vixen and a few kits, who ran to Daley immediately. The vixen sat next to Daley, her green eyes worried as she pressed herself against his flank. A few snakes slithered from the underbrush and curled on the pebbles. The bracken behind us cracked and I turned to see a wolf smaller than Fenrir with more feminine features come to take a seat next to him, followed by smaller wolves who sat behind them. Several other bits of small wildlife came in behind the raccoons.

Then all of the animals turned toward the opening between the deer and the raccoons, and out stepped the most majestic of the animals yet. A breeze started up, seemingly culled by this colossal creature. His dark brown fur shifted in the wind as his massive legs stepped from the trees and to the edge of the pond. Here, he turned his wild golden eyes on Fenrir.

"Brother Wolf, why have you called the animals to a meeting?"

Fenrir turned his gaze on the grizzly and bowed his head respectfully. "Brother Bear, there is an issue of importance to all the life in the forest."

All the animals' gazes flicked toward me, and a doe piped up from behind a tree, "Does it involve the human?"

Fenrir addressed the deer. "It involves all of us. The human called it to my attention; we are all in very grave danger."

The bear spoke again. "Does she speak the tongue of our kind?"

"I do," I answered, and the animals all glanced at each other, murmuring. Daley released a sharp bark, and the animals silenced. The bear turned to me.

"Sister of the Forest, what is the conflict?"

Hutch flicked an ear and I had to restrain myself from elbowing him- his little ear-flick was signal enough that he thought in contempt of my new title. I turned instead to the bear and let my gaze rake the clearing, taking a shaky breath. "There is a wight on the island. Not all of you know what this is, I think- it's a soulless abomination, hiding in a humanlike body it stole from one of my brethren, one of the _syndrigasti_, or peculiars. They kill and kill and kill peculiars until they are strong enough to have a body like that- and then they help their friends, hollows as we call them, to do the same. Hollows feed on stray animals and lone humans, though- already this one has killed some sheep.

"My cat Hutch can find the wight. I know someone who can kill the hollows- hollows are invisible, but this person is able to see them. My problem comes in killing the wight. I hate to admit it, but I'm not the greatest fighter; my power isn't very defensive or life-preserving, it's only to talk to you all."

Here, I was interrupted. The bear took advantage of my pause to speak. "There was a _syndrigasti_ here before- he befriended Fenrir, and then me, and then all the animals of the forest. He and his twin lived very similar lives, and his twin now has moved on, but he still lives in the forest. He learned over time to transform into animalistic creatures- half-human, half-animal."

"Are you suggesting that speaking the animal tongue can teach a human how to become animal? Like… Like a werewolf?"

The bear's huge head nodded. "That's exactly what I'm suggesting. The power took a while for him to learn and perfect, but he became one with nature and nature joined with him. He grew claws, and fangs. His feet would shift to the stature of a wolf's. His pupils narrowed like a cat's, and he grew the horns of a stag."

"Where can I find him?"

"He lives in my cave."

But then a new voice spoke from the woods just behind the bear. "I am here."

All the animals turned in surprise, as did I- out from behind a spruce stepped a man, wearing pants of stitched maple leaves that clung to his legs down to his knees. The rest of him was bare and muscular, and he had tanned skin, chestnut hair, and eyes that faded from chestnut to amber. He had exactly the parts the bear had spoken of and crept into the clearing on the ends of his feet. He wore necklaces and bracelets of bones and twigs and vines, woven together into intricate designs.

"I am Landon. I was born many moons ago and no longer care for the human world. I've listened to your story- I hide here from the wights, and the few that have come through have been destroyed. The hollows are the real concern- I am unable to defeat them, and so have to hide. The stench of Topaz's droppings holds off the hollowgast. You are brave for wanting to defeat the wight and the hollow, but you are foolish; it cannot be done."

I stood. "It can be. I told you- I know someone who can see the hollows. With their guidance, the power of the animals can easily be enough. The hollows are strong- but Topaz and Fenrir together can be stronger. The stag back there has antlers, he can fight. The raccoons are known for their brutish, dangerous fighting style. The badger can leave a nasty bite. The snakes are venomous enough to leave their mark. If we work together, it is possible! I've met an invisible boy and traveled back in time, I talk to animals, I know someone who controls bees that live in his stomach- so is it really that hard to believe that if we work together, we can live?"

The animals glanced at each other and Landon folded muscular arms across his broad chest. "That's a pretty speech, but we've only just learned of your existence at all, and you already want to risk all of our lives. We don't even know your name."

"My name is Iris and you're risking your lives even more by just standing around doing nothing!"

Landon shook his head. "You'll not convince me."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "It's not you I'm trying to 'convince' anyways. I'm trying to save the lives of the animals- Daley came to me asking for help and I've found a way to, but I can't do it alone."

"You could if you gave my lifestyle a try. Have you even considered leaving behind your old life?"

"Of course I have, but it isn't my place to- if I disappear, they'll follow me into the forest and interrupt the animal life. Likely, they'll hunt down animals in searching for me. To fight is my only option, but I can't fight this battle alone."

Landon shook his head again. "Go back to your town and your humans. Forget about animals, forget about the wight- it was likely following your powers anyway. Take your cat and leave my forest."

"And who are you to claim it? If this forest is anyone's, it's the animals'. And it's in danger. Just because you're too cowardly to fight, that doesn't mean they should all bow down as well."

Fenrir spoke now. "She speaks the truth. Those not in favor of fighting can stay behind. Landon, you may hide in your cave with the bear. I will fight. Rain, will you?"

The female wolf behind spoke as well, her voice cool. "I will fight alongside you, Fenrir."

Fenrir nodded and turned to the bear. "Topaz?"

"I'd sooner die of a wight than live a coward in a dying wood."

The raccoons gave their cries of approval as well, joined by the badger. The stags at the edge said they would as well.

With their help and Hugh's and Emma's, it was enough.

We could do this.


End file.
